Book Review | One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris

One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris was our book club pick for March. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one after reading the disclaimer at the beginning warning readers of potential triggering content surround sexual assault. Some books can become very dark with topics like this, and that usually isn't for me. However, One Summer in Savannah handles this sensitive topic with care.

Sara leaves her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, after a traumatizing, violent sexual assault. Because of the assault Sara's daughter, Alana, is conceived. They flee the gossiping lips of their town to live in Maine, where assault victims have more rights than they do in Georgia. However, an unexpected illness drags Sara back into her old life as she cares for her dying father while trying to hide her secret - that Alana exists. But it is more difficult than she expects when she meets her assailant's twin brother, Jacob, and finds herself falling for him.

One Summer in Savannah was a great pick for a book club, with plenty of themes to tease out and discuss. Overall, I loved this book and really liked how it focused on forgiveness even when forgiving seems impossible. The author was inspired to write this book after the Emmanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston in 2015, where a white man opened fire on a Bible study of all black church members. After the violent tragedy, the families came together in an unprecedented act to publicly offer their forgiveness to the shooter. Out of that spirit, this book came. If you're looking for a book club pick that will spark discussion, look no further than One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris.